Nomadic theater company, Theater Ninjas and Cleveland’s newest theater organization Mamaí Theatre Company have partnered to bring to stage Eric Coble’s “Stranded On Earth” to Cleveland. The production will be directed by Theater Ninjas’ Artistic Director Jeremy Paul and featuring Mamaí Artistic Associate Derdriu Ring. “Stranded On Earth” is the second of Coble’s “Alexandra Plays” in which the recent Broadway production of “The Velocity of Autumn” is a part. “Stranded On Earth” is the story of Alexa who contemplates the exchange between personal freedom with that of a stable lifestyle while dealing with a personal tragedy.

“Bringing my play My Barking Dog to Cleveland audiences under Jeremy's direction was one of the highlights of my theatrical life,” says Coble. “So when the prospect of working together again came up – to tell a new magical mysterious story – I leapt at the chance. And knowing the astonishing Derdriu Ring will be speaking my words and painting pictures with them? It doesn't get any more powerful than that. The absolute icing on this cake is that we are using this script to bring two thrilling theatre companies together for the first time, to tell a story that will resonate through Cleveland and beyond.”

Director Jeremy Paul seconded Coble’s remarks. “There’s a lot about Stranded on Earth that is exciting: working with the talented Eric Coble again, partnering with the burgeoning Mamaí Theatre Company, and getting a chance to direct Derdriu Ring, one of Cleveland’s most talented actors. Eric has penned a beautiful story about transformation, redemption and self-definition. It’s an honor to be on the creative team bringing this visceral, nuanced story to Cleveland audiences, and to highlight the immense talents in our area.” Actress Derdriu Ring added, “Eric Coble is really a clever and superb master storyteller, Jeremy Paul has visionand clarity.”

Mamaí Theatre Company was founded in 2010 by Bernadette Clemens, Wendy Kriss, Christine McBurney, and Derdriu Ring. Mamaí (pronounced Mah' may) is the Gaelic word for “mother.” Four working mothers, theatre artists, colleagues, and friends arrived at a place where it was time to create opportunities for themselves and their community. “Don’t wait to create” became the inspiration for Mamaí Theatre Company. Our mission is to create intelligent, relevant classical theatre that offers an artistic home for Cleveland's theatre artists, and equal opportunity for women in the professional theatre community.

Theater Ninjas is the Food Truck of Cleveland Theater. We’re a nomadic company who seeks out new and exciting spaces to perform. Working in non-traditional venues gives us an opportunity to re-imagine how and why we tell stories, and helps us to create deep, fascinating worlds for the audience to explore. We’re always experimenting; always rethinking what theater can be: as entertainment, as art and as out-of-the-ordinary experiences.

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Mark Horning was blessed as a child to have parents who appreciated good music and the performing arts. Some of his happiest memories were when they attended the Columbus, Ohio Art Gallery Chamber Music programs on Sundays. Piano lessons gave him a finer appreciation of the difficulty of the performances. Over the years he has learned to play dulcimer, write poetry and compose his own music with lyrics. His martial arts training as a young man gave him a deep appreciation of the dance genre which he still has. He has a deep affection for the performing arts and hope that this love shows through in his writings.